Mountain-moving Faith PDF Print Email
by Lani Martinez --Los Angeles, California  -  Monday, 12 January 2009
North America / Caribbean >> USA Southwest

According to Jesus, mountains could be moved with only a mustard seed worth of faith. Here are real life examples of those who never gave up on those they love. After 25 years of faith, Javier Amaya helped the first members of his family be baptized into Christ.

Well, perhaps these short stories bring you good news of how God is using the mustard seed-sized faith in disciples of the East Region of the Los Angeles Church of Christ to bring members of their families to Christ.

When Yvonne Lira returned from Guatemala where she was a member of the Peace Corps, her faith was barely the size of a mustard seed, but even so, her most important thought was getting her sister, Monica, to come back to God. She moved from the West Region of the LA Church to the East Region and began working on "growing" her mustard seed-sized faith. She quickly became a welcome member of the Whittier Singles Ministry and began a campaign to recapture her sister for God.

That campaign took a twist that Yvonne never saw coming, one that has taken her mustard seed faith to new heights. It began when she invited her brother-in-law Fernando to church. He came, liked what he saw, and hooked up with Larry Martinez, Steve Diaz, Josh Peterson and other men in the Whittier Ministry to study the Bible. Fernando is a smart man, and it didn’t take him long to see the path he needed to take for his family. He was baptized only a couple of months later. A month after that, Fernando's wife and the focus of Yvonne's campaign, her sister Monica, recommitted her life to God. Yvonne continues to see her mustard seed of faith grow as she watches her family, especially her nieces, Alexis and Aleah, find their way to God willingly and joyfully. And now I hear Yvonne’s father, Ernie, has agreed to study the Bible with Javier Amaya! Your faith continues to move mountains, Yvonne!!

Ever since Esther Faith Elias Ramirez became a disciple through the urging of her Christian daughter, Denise, the uppermost thing on Esther’s mind was to impact her family to become disciples, beginning with her husband, Mark, and then on to whomever else was open to studying the Bible with her. Those of us who know Esther know she is one of the most evangelistic people ever, and she has her own inimitable way of reaching people for God. And reaching her father Tony Elias' heart was no different.

Tony was not in the best of health, and was even hospitalized with a serious infection just before he began his studies. But God is always in control. With the help of Rajiv Pullenayegam and Mark Ramirez, God blessed Mark, Esther and Denise's mustard seed-sized faith in a big way. On June 22, 2008, at 90-years old, Esther's beloved father, Tony Elias, was baptized into Christ. And he’s still going strong!

“We’ve all had those 'impossible prayers' that we persist on day after day, year after year and maybe even decade after decade. At times we are determined that we serve a mighty God who can do anything, anywhere, with anybody. At other times it seems like He works in the lives of others, but we wonder, “Can He really work in my life and in the lives of those around me?” We think in seconds, minutes and hours, but God is not limited by distance or time. He is a mighty, patient, compassionate Father who listens to our hearts and prayers and who loves us and those around us more than we can comprehend."

Javier Amaya wrote these words a couple of months ago when, 25 years after his baptism into Christ, he helped baptize the first members of his immediate family into the kingdom of God --his brother-in-law, Jose Luis, and sister, Claudia Llana. With the help of Randy and Kay McKean and the brothers and sisters from the Northern Virginia Church of Christ family, Javier witnessed God move to increase his faith in a way he never thought possible. It was a great celebration for Javier and Kelly and their family, as God joyfully answered one of Javier's "impossible prayers,” blessing his mustard-seed sized faith!

The moral of these stories is: Never give up on those you love, especially your immediate family, those who are closest to you, who are probably the ones that break your heart and diminish your faith when you want to share the message of Jesus Christ with them. Remember…Jesus didn’t give up on you, and He said that all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed and you can move mountains. So go move some mountains!! And to God be the glory!

Editor's note: for more stories visit the East Region fo the LA International Church of Christ.

 

 

 
Last Updated:   Thursday, 15 January 2009
 
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